"Papyrus" Font is Hereby Banned

I just wanted to let everyone know that if I catch anyone using...

...for your business logo, band logo, printing on the back of your book, movie subtitles (looking at you, James Cameron), heading for your website, or pretty much ANYTHING AT ALL I will probably stick spoons in your eyes. 
This has become the most ridiculously overused font in the world of late.  The most recent and infuriating example I've noticed is that Edible Arrangements uses it in their logo. EDIBLE FREAKING ARRANGEMENTS, a business whose continued existence completely defies all logic and common sense.  That association in itself should be enough to shame you into not using it.

Please.

I'm begging you.

Stop.

Rhythmic Gymnastics: My New Favorite Sport

As those of you not living in refrigerator boxes in dark alleys are probably aware, the Summer Olympics have been going on of late.  We've all seen the standard Olympic events (various track events, swimming, boat races, cattle mutilation, etc.) but the best part about the all-day Olympic TV coverage is you get to discover new sports.

Today, I'd like to talk about rhythmic gymnastics. 

"What are rhythmic gymnastics?" you ask, because you like asking stupid questions, the answers to which you were obviously going to get if you could have just waited a second or two.

Rhythmic gymnastics aren't gymnastics in the traditional sense, with all the vaulting and backflipping and whatever the hell it is those crazy Chinese dudes are doing.  The participant dances around with a ball, hula hoop, or ribbon.  They throw the aforementioned item around a bit.  They dance some more.  Maybe a somersault or two.
 
Yep.  That's it.  This sport must have been created as a failed attempt to get strippers into the Olympics.  Imagine the awkward childhood moments:
"What do you want to be when you grow up, Timmy?" asks the teacher.
"A fireman!"
"That sounds great!  And you, Sarah?"
"I'm gonna be a veterinarian!"
"Wonderful!  What about you, Olga?"
"I'm gonna dance around a lot and throw a ball in the air and catch it with my thighs."
"Yes... that sounds fun... we all like to play.  But what are you going to do for your career?"
"No, seriously!  Dancing!  With a ball!  Throw it!  Catch it!  Repeat!  I'm a princess!"
"Oh.  Well.  Um... your mother will be proud, I'm sure.  Hopefully there's a McDonald's hiring nearby."

"But wait!" you say.  "This doesn't sound like something you'd enjoy!  The page said it's your new favorite sport!  What's so great about it?"

Well, you see...

The umm... competitive nature of the sport is very...

You can easily appreciate the... rigorous.. ah... technicality of...

That is to say... anyone can enjoy the event's... philosophical...

OH MY GOD THAT'S HOT.  BEST OLYMPIC EVENT EVER!

How Did You Know I Needed Women's Pants?

Usually my spam emails aren't that great.  They try to sell me Viagra--which I don't need (yet)--or convince me to give Prince Mbongwe from Nigeria my bank account information so he can wire me ten million dollars.  They tell me that their name is Kristy and they are naked and want to meet up with me soon.  Sometimes their name is Frank, but they are invariably naked and want to meet up with me soon and are desperately in need of my credit card number.
But not today.
Today, they received my Lorna Jane Style Request (apparently).  I was pleased to find out that I (apparently) am interested in buying some women's pants from their store in Australia.
The email was as follows:

Hi [my name!  how did they know my name?],

Thank you for shopping on lornajane.com.au

Your style request has been received and one of our Lorna Jane Angels will be in touch shortly to help you locate your desired style.

"Beyonce 7/8 Tight (m)"

For faster service or for any additional assistance with your style request please call 1300 LORNA JANE (1300 567 625) to speak to a Lorna Jane Angel now*.

We look forward to helping you Live Active!

Thank you,
The Lorna Jane Team


* The Lorna Jane Angels are available to assist you over the phone during customer service business hours Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM AEST.

I wondered if the Lorna Jane Angels were the ones who were always naked and emailing me or whatever, but I figured what the heck, I'll check out the website.
Oh man.  These are some nice pants.  Only 65 Australian dollars?  I must have them.

 

This is my bum, I guess.

Well, magic Internet spam email machine, for once you got it right.  Yes.  I do in fact want some Beyonce 7/8 Tight (m) ladies' pants... or leggings... or whatever the heck they are.  In fact, I bought some already, and decided to post a picture.  Thanks, Lorna Jane Angels, for helping me Live Active!

I bet Frank really wants my credit card number now.

This Is News?

For all you kids out there thinking about going into the news industry, it seems the competition is... well... less than fierce.  The following are all actual recent TV news headlines.  I wish I was making these up.

"Thieves steal disabled man's fishing gear"
Stealing fishing gear is pretty pathetic.  Worse yet is stealing it from a cripple.  Worst of all is the fact that someone felt this was newsworthy enough to make it the featured story.

"Police test gun used in school shooting"
Why?  Obviously it worked.

"Study finds unsafe sex linked to heavy drinking"
Really?  I usually make great decisions when I'm wasted.  Good to know the scientific community is making good use of my tax dollars.

"Delivery men get reckless with packages"
The funny thing about this one is I used to be in a Chippendale group called "Delivery Men."  We were always pretty reckless with our packages, if you know what I mean.

"Suspect accused of horrific crime violated probation"
Weird.  When I was on probation I was told committing horrific crimes was ok.

"Crocodile steals lawnmower, holds it hostage"
Wait.  What?  Let me read that again.  Crocodile steals... wow.  What were his demands?  A toothbrush?  Steve Irwin's ashes?

"Dead dog gets loads of junk mail"
Call me when he wins the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes.

"Reality TV star shoots man taking nap"
Cruelty!  At least have the decency to wait until he wakes up.

"Homeless people used as Wi-Fi hotspots"
This idea was taken from the Chernobyl area where local bums were used as street lamps.

"Man Sues BMW Claiming Motorcycle Ride Gave Him Painful Two-Year Erection"
The bike was THAT GOOD.

What the Hell Are They Saying? (Volume 1)

I made you a video. You're welcome.

If you prefer, you may view it on the YouTube page (and in higher resolution).

LL Cool J Is Going To Knock Me Out: The Bold Claims of Popular Musicians (Part 2)

In the first installment of this series, we saw the lyrical claims of popular musicians confirmed as either fact or fiction through extensive research and data collection*.  This time, we decided to get the answers straight from the horse’s mouth.

Hours later we were tired, frustrated, and covered in horse bites.  Worse yet, the horse had failed to answer any of our questions.  So, we decided to interview the artists themselves to find out whether their lyrics are for real or they’re just blowing smoke. 

Not like that, damn it!

---

Statement: 
“I kissed a girl and I liked it.”

“Artist” / Song:
Katy Perry / I Kissed a Girl

 I have experienced physical intimacy with a same-sex partner and found it enjoyable.

The Interview:

            Katy Perry’s PR Rep: Hello, [name of PR agency]**, [this chick’s name]** speaking.  How may I help you?

            Me: Can I speak to Katy, please?

            PR Rep:  I’m sorry?

            Me: Katy.  Ms. Perry.  Ms. Katy Perry.  May I speak to her, please?

            PR Rep: [slightly confused] Oh.  She’s not… physically present here.  Would you like to set up an interview? 

            Me: Yes. 

            PR Rep: All right, and who are you with?

            Me: Actually, I’m single at the moment; thanks for asking.  You sound like you could use some lovin’, though; what are you wearing right now? 

            PR Rep: [audibly irritated] I meant ‘which publication are you with?’

            Me: Oh.  Right.  It’s… well, I operate a small humor elephant on the Internet.  The Internet.  You know, the best of all the Internets.

            PR Rep:  I’m sorry, you said an elephant?

            Me:  Ugh.  Ok, it’s a blog.  God, I hate that word.  I don’t like the word blog so I call it an elephant.  Elephants are better than blogs.

            PR Rep: [long pause] That’s stupid.

            Me: You’re stupid.

            [silence]

            Me: Hello?

            PR Rep: I’m going to hang up now.

            Me: Fair enough.

            [click]

The Verdict:

            Unconfirmed.

---

Statement:
 “I’m gonna knock you out.  Mama said knock you out.”

“Artist” / Song:
LL Cool J / I’m Gonna Knock You Out

I am going to strike you with sufficient force to render you unconscious.  My mother instructed me to do so.

The Interview:

            [note: We couldn’t reach LL Cool J for this interview, so we instead called his mother.]

            LL Cool J’s mama: Hello?

            Me: Hello, Mrs. Cool J?

            Mama: What?

            Me: Is this Mrs. Cool J?

            Mama: Wha-- Oh.  Ha ha!  Oh, I get it.  Yeah, this is me.  Who this?

            Me: I think you know.  Let’s cut to the chase.  Did you tell LL to knock me out?

            Mama: Huh?

            Me: For safety’s sake, I’m taking it as a given that he does in fact intend to knock me out, and I’ve lived every day of my life in fear of it since hearing that song.  What I want to know is did you put him up to it?

            Mama:  [pause] I got no idea what you’re talkin’ bout.

            Me: Your son, LL Cool J, intends to knock me out.  He says you told him to do it.  Why?  Why me?

            Mama: Oh!  Ha ha, you mean that song.  Heh.  Oh wow, that’s old school right there.

            Me: Did you or did you not instruct your son to physically assault me? 

            Mama:  What the--I ain’t never told him to beat nobody up, you crazy motha--

            Me: Thank you.

            [click]

The Verdict:

            False, not that it’ll ease the pain when it finally happens.

You dead, sucka!

---

Statement:
 “I’m afraid of Americans.”

“Artist” / Song: 
David Bowie / I’m afraid of Americans

Persons originating from the United States of America instill in me a sense of dread.

The Interview:

            David Bowie: Hello?

            Me: Hi there.  Is this Mr. Bowie?

            DB: Yes, who’s this?

            Me: I’m the lead writer for a small humor elephant based in the Midwest.

            DB: Ah, elephants!  You’re from that zoology site, then, are you?  Wait… the Midwest of what?

            Me: Um… of the United States.

            DB: So you’re…. AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHH!

            Me:  Mr. Bowie?  Mr. Bowie, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?

            DB: [screaming continues]

Me:  Mr. Bowie?  Hello?

DB: [screaming continues]

Me: Mr. Bowie, I was just wondering if you are in fact afraid of Americans.

DB: [screaming continues, accompanied by what sounds like the telephone receiver being bashed repeatedly by a large blunt object]

Me: So… I’ll take that as a yes, then?

DB: [screaming and bashing continues]

Me: Right.

[click]

The Verdict:

            Confirmed.

...and Americans are afraid of this.

---

*Or I made it up.  Whatever.

**You have no idea how much research it took*** to find out the name of the place, much less the phone number.  No way am I going to let you in on my secrets.

***None.

The Dark Side

It started with Myspace.  I had to get on there because if you had a band to promote, that was (at the time) the way to go.  You HAD to be on Myspace.  I had always sworn that I wouldn't get on there because I wasn't (and still am not) a fourteen year old girl, but I did it anyway.  But I sure as hell wasn't getting on Facebook.  Bugger that nonsense.
Then everyone left Myspace.
Ok.  Fine.  Damn it all.  I'll get on Facebook.  Just what I needed; a social networking site where every stupid thing I post while drunk at 2am shows up on my mother's computer screen the next morning.  Sweet.  Just cross me off of your will now, Mom.  You too, Uncle Ned.  Tell you what though, this new "Twitter" thing is just stupid.  Completely retarded.  It does WAY less than Facebook, Myspace, and for that matter my toaster.  No.  Not doing it.
Then absolutely EVERYONE decided they needed to be on Twitter.  Great.   I hereby diagnose the entire planet with ADD.  There's no other logical reason for everyone to fall in love with a site that only lets you post a sentence at a time.
So I guess I've got to get on Twitter now.
Fine.  You can follow me on Twitter at @NLY_elephant.  I've gone to the dark side.  The web address is https://twitter.com/#!/NLY_elephant for those of you who haven't yet sold your eSouls and want to. 
I will be using this to notify you of updates/new posts (since you can't be bothered to follow using that Google thinger over on the right which I'm told is lousy anyway) and to post bits of humor that are too short to be worthy of an entire elephant post. 
This is all everyone's fault but mine, just so we're clear.